


Old Love and Sweet Melodies

by ohmiyaskdesu



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 12:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2067534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmiyaskdesu/pseuds/ohmiyaskdesu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The young master's butler grew up watching the boy he came to love as a partner, but he knows that it is wrong to love the boy. Then one day, he tragically dies leaving the boy alone to himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted in my livejournal and it confused a lot of readers. This is an edited(ish) version of the story.

Ohno stayed silent about his feelings. Even if his young master talked to him about things that bothered him, Ohno just listened. He would say a few things, but the young master doesn’t seem to understand what he was saying and just left, stomping his foot hard on the wooden floor. Ohno knew he should offer more than verbal advice, but he was afraid that his young master would only make matters worse for himself.

“Ohno!” His young master had rung the bell for lunch time. “It’s about time for lunch!”

He dared not to yell from across the hall, afraid that the Master would raise a hand (the Master had done it once and Ohno swore he’d control his behavior). After the head chef had finished with his young master’s food, Ohno dared to taste each dish in case of poison. Sure enough, the head chef was not a villain himself.

Once he entered his young master’s room, he bowed out of custom and placed the tray on a lavish table standing proudly in the middle of the room. Just as he was about to head back to his duties, however, he heard the soft and melodic voice of his young master. Oh, how he longed for that voice. His young master’s voice was the only comfort he could seek refuge in.

“Ahem,” the young master coughed. “Care to leave me be?”

“Ah,” Ohno snapped from his dreamy thoughts. “I’ll leave, Ninomiya-sama.” With that said, Ohno bowed again, and rushed from his young master’s bedroom, to his tiny cramped bedroom.

He sighed, hitting himself on the forehead for being so stupid. He knows that the young master hated it when he was listening to him singing, but he couldn’t help it: the boy’s had an alluring voice.

Ever since his young master learned to sing when he was just three years old, Ohno smiled for the first time in his life. He remembered dancing secretly while the boy sang the same song in his soft voice, and Ohno would cry after, remembering about his family and the horrid life he had before he met the Master. He remembered Nino’s tiny fist punching him for listening and he would silently comment the boy so he wouldn’t hear it. Whenever he pressed his ear to Nino’s bedroom door, his heart would soften and remember those good memories still left in him. Such a beautiful voice… But all those practices stopped when one day, Nino’s cruel father stormed in the boy’s room, punishing him for singing like a girl. Ever since then, Nino changed. He neglected his talent, and grew up living with what his dad told him that day.

Ohno closed his eyes, his heart ached from remembering those memories he so wanted to get rid of.

 

+++

 

Ohno lived to be 40 when he just died from a tragic accident to keep Nino from taking his own life. Everyone in their small town heard of it, including the young man’s parents, and mourned for the sweet old man that took care of Nino. Nobody ever found his body in the rushing river.

 

+++

 

Nino found himself crying that day. He blamed himself for trying to kill himself when someone else had died for him and called himself a stupid, selfish brat. He knows now, how he came to love the old man for always being there by his side, despite the fact that Ohno was his butler, when his parents gave him the cold shoulder and ignored him.  
Why didn’t he appreciate what Ohno had done for him in his young life, and took Ohno’s weird subtle advices? Because he didn’t care about what Ohno did as long as the butler did whatever was satisfying for him.

A stupid and selfish brat, he mentally wrote all over his skin. If only Ohno wasn’t there that day, he would have died instead of the old man.

 

+++

 

“Get over it!” one of his classmates yelled across the classroom. “He’s old and he never really did anything!”

Nino shook his head and stood from his luxurious chair that he didn’t deserve, and angrily stomped his feet towards the stupid bastard that talked carelessly about his old friend. He grabbed the idiot‘s collar and punched him square in the jaw. “Shut the fuck up!” Nino yelled as he punched the careless bastard again. “Don’t talk about him like you know him!”

A crowd of students gasped and they immediately formed a circle around the two. All of them chanted the word ‘fight’, and pushed the two delinquents to each other urging them to fight. However, the chanting and the crowd dispersed as their cranky teacher entered the room. Nino released his grip on the bastard, and rushed out of the room taking his stuff with him.

Nobody has ever heard of Nino since then.

Back at home, since Nino’s disappearance, his parents were in a disaster and they gave up on looking for their child. They knew that ever since Nino was born, the boy was nothing but bad luck to their lives. In hopes of desperation, they immediately produced a new child to success for them, turning their cold backs away from Nino.

 

 


	2. The Dream I Had

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino meets a young soul, out and wondering just like him. Somewhere out there, however, a young man dreams of Nino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted in my livejournal and it confused a lot of readers. This is an edited(ish) version of the story.

Nino placed his head on his arm as he watched people walk past by him. He sang in a soft voice, loud enough for children to go closer to him, swaying with his melody. He didn't ask for money, but instead for company. After all, it’s been such a long time since Nino sang loudly and freely. With his father gone, he could finally smile.

When he used to sing, he made sure his cruel father was out of the country, or nowhere near his room. Nino would sing the same song he first sang when he was 3 years old, and his old friend, Ohno was always there to listen to him. 

When Ohno was around to hear him sing, he was afraid that the old man would tell his father that he was singing, afraid of getting punished. As soon as he sees Ohno, he rushes to the butler and punches him, telling the butler to leave him be. However, his father never came into the room to punish him for singing. The many times when his father came home, Ohno would bow until the cruel father walked away, leaving Nino’s arms wide open who was expecting a hug. In return, Nino would sulk and embrace the butler instead. He scowled, asking himself why the past even mattered anymore. With Ohno gone, what would have been the point of staying in that cold house.

Nino cuddled closer with his school bag trying his best to fight the winter weather as he continued singing his melody as more children came closer.

“What’s the name of that song?” a kid with missing front teeth asked him. Nino opened his eyes and peered his eyes at the dirty kid in front of him.

He could see the playful mood in the child’s eyes as Nino smile and answered, “I don’t know. It’s just a song that came to me.”

“Oh,” the child smiled back. He blinked his eyes a few times and moved closer to Nino, cuddling with him in the cold and winter weather. "I like it," the boy muttered and hummed along with Nino as he learned the song.

 

+

 

Nino opened his eyes and found himself back home. He didn’t know how he got there, nor did he remember waking up last night and walked himself to the damned place full of bad memories. “Damn,” Nino muttered under his breath, a cloud of smoke coming from his mouth. “Why am I back home?”

Strange, he thought, there was no one home. He walked around the cold mansion halls, his footsteps echoing heavily towards the end of the halls.  Of all places, he ended up in Ohno's room. It’s been a long time since he entered that place and he almost forgot how it looked like. Despite the fact that Ohno was his butler, the man was rather unorganized. There were empty tubes of paint here and there, dried and fainted spots of paint splattered on the floor or the wall, and blank canvases left neglected all over the room. Within the mess, however, Nino noticed something odd. The room was untouched and everything around him was dark gray. How long has Nino been gone from this house?

He didn’t notice this earlier since he only saw how colorful the paints were. Nino moved his head instead of moving around with his body, lazy to walk to one place to another when he was already at the exit. However, he noticed the only colorful canvas, its corner protruding behind the piles of blank canvases. Curiously, he walked towards it wondering why it was the only thing that had color. 

It took him a while to rescue the painting since he didn't want to destroy any canvases. As soon as he hand it in his hands, his eyes widened in surprise. The old man wasn’t such a bad painter, Nino thought to himself as he ran his finger over the smooth lines, where Ohno had accurately painted the lines on his face. The old man was so precise that Nino spotted the same mole on his chin. Who knew that Ohno watched him this closely?

Just as he was about to put the painting back to its place, he heard a set footsteps heading towards Ohno’s room from outside. Quickly and stealthily, Nino put the canvas away, afraid someone would notice, and hid under Ohno’s bed peeking at the tiny holes to see who it was.

Shoot! Nino remembered. I forgot to close the door! He did a mental slap on the forehead but stopped himself when he heard this person crash on the bed just above him. Nino closed his mouth, trying to make his breath steady. He didn't know who this disrespectful, stupid bastard was in Ohno’s room. Nino swore he would have to kill him later.

“Nino!” the person called for his name. Nino jolted from his position, almost hitting his head on the bed. How did this person know he was in there? Instead of going out, he just stayed there and laid flat on his stomach waiting for something to happen next.

Soon, another set of footsteps came and this time, it sounded so fast and rapid almost like the person was running. “Ohno!” a boy piped up. “Can we play now?” Nino yet again closed his mouth, realizing that the bastard on the bed was Ohno. Tears were brimming on his eyes as he remembered the smiles that Ohno flashed so many times towards him. He was about to go out when the boy screamed and yelled as he jumped onto the bed.

“Please?!” the boy he heard earlier beg. He could feel the boy jumping up and down, screaming and yelling of wanting to play. This voice, Nino pondered, it sounds so familiar. “Pretty please Ohno!” He heard the boy beg. “Can we play?! Papa hates me and won’t play with me!”

_Papa?_

He heard Ohno sigh as Nino’s eyes were starting to tear up again. “Fine,” Ohno finally admitted. “Let’s play Nino.”

 

+

 

It was a weird dream to have. How was there two of them in one place, when in most of his dreams it was only one Nino? Perhaps it was a memory? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the dream and memories of his house altogether. He turned to his left, seeing the same kid yesterday still sleeping on his shoulder.

Nino giggled at the boy as he poked the boy awake, telling him that it was time to leave. The boy nodded his head and followed Nino like a lost puppy.

 

+

 

The two walked down the busy streets of Tokyo, pick pocketing businessmen and businesswomen alike as they went to find their rest stop. Nino held onto the boy’s hand dragging him closer, afraid that the bundle of mess would go missing. He felt a tug on his arm as the boy pointed to a park. “Let’s stop there!” The boy jumped up and down, obviously excited about seeing the playground.

Nino shook his head. He knows that if he stopped by the park and stayed there for the night, the curfew officers would ask them for his and the boy’s ID, afraid that he will be sent back home and the boy somewhere else. The boy looked at him with puppy eyes and tugged at his arm again.

“No,” Nino firmly said. “I can’t let us be sent home.”

“Aw,” he heard the boy sigh in defeat. Nino didn’t want to be unfair but he was to let them go there, bye-bye to freedom and hello solitary.

“I’m sorry,” Nino bent down so he could see eye-to-eye with the boy. “I promise we’ll be back here when it’s night time.” He saw the boy nod his head, and turn his face away from Nino making a sniffling sound.

 

+++

 

As the two settle down on the cold hard floor, the boy took a few stuff out of Nino’s bag: a pencil and a paper. The boy struggled to open the book, but Nino helped him and he watched the boy scribble something on the clean paper.

“Ai…Ai…” Nino struggled to read the kanji. “Aiba…” The boy looked up from his paper, blinked a few times, smiled, and went back to writing. Nino continued to read the kanji out loud. “Aiba Masa…Masa…Masaki?”

The boy looked up again and smiled, hugging Nino on the neck almost strangling him. “I’m sorry if I didn’t tell you my name earlier _onii-chan_. I didn’t know if I could trust you.”

Nino laughed hard at this, not believing every word he says. “You probably just couldn't say your name because you were nervous.”

“NO!!!” Aiba blushed, releasing his grip on Nino’s neck. “I was just-”

“Your kanji sucks too,” Nino continued on taunting the small boy.

“Hpmh!” the boy turned away, crossing his arms. “It’s ‘cause I never finished the 5th grade.”

 Nino laughed again, grabbing his stomach from the boy’s humiliation. “Seriously?!” Nino paused and panted from laughing hard. “Why?”

“Because,” Aiba turned around again this time, his eyes full of tears. “I ran away from home!!” Nino finally stopped laughing, feeling stupid yet again for laughing at the miserable boy in front of him.

He pulled the young boy towards him and hugged him saying, “It’s ok Aiba. I’m Nino by the way. I can help you since I’m was senior at high school.”

 

+++

 

Somewhere far away where Nino and Aiba were resting, a young man three years older than Nino woke up from a strange dream. He heard himself screaming for a boy he didn’t know, and saved him from committing suicide from falling out of a bridge. Unfortunately, he died in the dream and never learned who the boy was. All he remembered was that the boy's name was Nino.

 


	3. Coincidental Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted in my livejournal and it confused a lot of readers. This is an edited(ish) version of the story.

Nino stared at the change on Aiba's tiny palm waiting to be spent as well as the spare paper money he had on him. They managed to earn enough money from singing all morning. They didn’t earn a lot this time, but it was enough to buy at least a week worth of bread. Luckily enough, a kind old hobo offered them his fire and a tiny shelter enough to fit their thin bodies, giving them enough time to raise some money to fend for their own.

“Stay here while I go and buy us food,” Nino whispered quietly so the others wouldn’t hear them. This time around, he doesn’t want himself and Aiba surrounded by the other hobos begging for their food.

+

He received a few glares and angry scowls as he sped through the crowd. He didn’t care about what the others said or how they gave him the look of disgust. He cared about feeding Aiba and making sure he lives throughout the day. However, with the little money he had, it wasn’t enough to what they needed. All he could afford was a bag of bread.

A long sigh came from his mouth as he stared absent-minded at the bag of bread. This might be the last time they’ll ever taste fresh bread.

"It's ok," a woman working behind the counter whispered. "It's on the house."

He looked up in surprise at the elderly woman. She was not like the rest, he could tell, and instead smiled sincerely as she offered the bag of bread. Guilt flowed through him, but the woman kept insisting. He had no choice but to oblige. Smiling back, he gladly accepted the bag of bread and thanked the woman. It was so rare to find nice people these days.

“Take care of yourself and your little brother,” the woman advised as he walked from the stall. “And come by again!”

Nino hummed his song on the way back to Aiba and didn’t care if people assumed he was crazy for skipping and smiling happily. _Maybe this might be a sign, that good things will come later_. Before entering the area, he hid the bag of bread underneath his shirt. It worked like a charm as he walked past the others; there’ll be a lot more for him, Aiba and the old hobo for the day.

“Where’s Masaki?” Nino asked the old man after he hid the bag of bread in their cardboard home.

The old man grunted as he accepted a half of a bread Nino was offering him. “He left without saying anything. I think he followed a man to the park.”

Nino grumbled angrily since this wasn’t the first time it happened, except this was a first for Aiba to follow a stranger. He told him many times not to leave while he was gone, especially not to talk to strangers.

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“That man said he knew you,” the old man mumbled. “He said something like meeting an old friend…”

“Someone…” Nino’s eyes widened. Was it his father? Worry replaced his anger as he thought about what his father has schemed. Maybe he was going to take Aiba and use him as a threat to come back home. Had his father been tracking them down? This wasn’t a time for questions and paranoia, Nino berated himself. He had to find Aiba before anything else happened.

The only place he could think of was the park. Sure enough, he finally saw the brown haired boy standing in front of a tall man. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell if the man was his father or not since the man’s back was facing him.

“Masaki!” He yelled as fear, anger, and worry over flowed through him. If something had happened to Aiba, Nino wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for it.

Once the boy heard him, he turned to face him with a smile on his face. Relief washed through Nino when he saw the boy was fine, however he couldn’t help but worry about the man standing so calmly in front of Aiba.

“Look at what he gave me!” Aiba exclaimed happily as he ran towards him with a brown teddy bear in his hand.

Nino narrowed his eyes. “Did he do or say anything mean to you? And give that toy back, you can’t have that.”

“But…” Aiba pouted. “…That nice man gave it to me. He said I could have it.”

“That doesn’t mean you could still accept it. He’s a stranger, and I’ve told you many times already… Masaki, give it back to the man.”

 “No, because it mine now!” Aiba protested just as Nino was about to take the teddy bear away from him. “He said I can have it!” The boy repeated as he ran from him and hid behind the man’s tall legs.

“H-he’s being a meanie,” Aiba sniffled.  

“Masaki, I don’t want to be mean but we don’t know that man. Now give it back and come here.”

“Ohno-san, Onii-chan’s being a meanie!”

 _Ohno-san_? Nino’s eyes widened. Is it him? But it’s been so long and… No it wasn’t possible. The Ohno he knew was gone.

“Ah, Aiba-chan I’m sure he’s just being over protective,” the man chuckled. “You don’t have to give the toy back.”

Regardless of who the person was (he was relieved it wasn’t his father), Nino wasn’t going to give in. “Masaki, give–”

The next words were caught in his throat when the man turned around. Nino rubbed his eyes a thousand times until he felt like his eyes could no longer take it. They weren’t lying to him and neither was his mind. “Ohno?” His voice came out as a squeak, not caring at all how he sounded. He wanted to make sure that it was him for sure.

“Excuse me?” The person who looked like Ohno questioned him curiously. “ How do you know me?”

Nino didn’t answer and just stood there staring at him, his mouth wide open. The man even looked like him, and sounded like him: soft, sleepy, and sincere. _No, it couldn’t be him, could it_?

“I… I thought you were dead…” Nino muttered his eyes unable to leave the man’s face. The longer he stared, he noticed just how much younger the man looked.

The man cocked his head to the side. “Dead?”

“You drowned when you were trying to save me,” Nino explained. “I know it. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“I’m sorry,” the man shook his head. “You must be mistaking me for someone else.”

“No… I know who you are. You’re Ohno Satoshi, you worked as a butler at my house, and you were always…” _Beside me_ , was what he wanted to say but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“A butler? No I’m an art student and I haven’t worked for you before. But I do know you, Nino-kun.”

“What?”

“Visit me here,” the man said as he handed him a note. “I’ll be there during the morning and late afternoon.”

He grabbed the note without thinking about trust. The man left soon after, leaving Nino with that familiar smile the Ohno he knew would always give him.

+++

He didn’t know where he was going, but his feet knew exactly where to go. For the past week, he dreamt of that same boy named Nino. In his dreams, he watched the boy grow up as if he’s been with him since the boy was born. Some nights, he would have random dreams of Nino and a little boy who followed the older boy around. It was as if his dreams are telling him a message, to find those boys and save them from something. But why was he having these dreams, and who were those boys? He had tons of questions, but for now his goal was to search for them. The dream he had last night been of the boys residing in an alleyway. Without realizing it, he finally found the place in his dream.

“Is there boy and a younger boy living here?” He asked the first person he saw.

The hobo nodded. “Right over there.” He pointed towards an old man, sitting quietly, his eyes darting around as if searching for suspicious behavior.

He approached the old man and cleared his throat. “Where’s Nino-kun and the little boy?”

“Ah, Aiba-chan is here. He’s waiting for Nino-kun to come back. Aiba-chan,” the man grunted as he reached for something behind him. “Someone’s here to see you.”

“Is it Onii-chan?!” A high-pitched voice came from the box. “Onii— You’re not Onii-chan.” The boy frowned as soon as they met each other’s eyes.

“That’s right, I’m not,” he smiled. “But I know him. Let’s say… I’m an old friend of his.”

“Really? How am I going to believe that? He said he never had friends.”

“Then, how would I know he lives here with you?”

“Oh, well…” the boy’s eyes darted around. “I guess I can believe you…”

“Good,” he grinned and surprised the boy with a teddy bear. “I’m Ohno Satoshi. Will you come with me to the park?”

The boy grinned. “Of course, Ohno-san!”

+

He was finally able to meet the boy in his dreams, except he looked different. The Nino in his dreams always smiled after singing a happy tune, or when he played pretend with him. The Nino he met that day didn’t have that mirth, or that wonderful smile on his face. If only there was a way to get it back, he wondered…

That same night, he dreamt again, except this time it wasn’t about Nino and that little boy. Instead he dreamt of a man, an older man who had his own face.

“It’s time I told you,” the older version of him spoke. “About why you’re having these dreams.”


	4. Start of a New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino finally takes Aiba out to play in the park when something bad happens. Meanwhile, an old friend comes and starts living again.

Nino waved Aiba’s tiny finger from his face, slightly irritated at Aiba for being so energetic first thing in the morning. He kept his eyes closed and turned over to the side, grumbling as he ignored Aiba poking him harder and harder each time Nino grumbled.

“OK!” Nino sat up, hitting his head on the roof of their shelter. “I’m up!”

“Yay!” Aiba fist pumped the air. “Can we finally go to the park?”

Ever since Nino promised to Aiba that they would go to the park it  never happened since he was trying his best to earn money. It’s been 2 weeks already and Aiba had been pleading him every morning with a pout in his face.

Nino smiled and grabbed Aiba’s chubby cheeks. “Shall we?”

Aiba’s eyes flashed with happiness as he jumped up and down, dragging Nino along with him to the empty park. The boy was happy and so was Nino. 

He watched the boy run up and down the stairs, slide down the tiny slide he couldn’t fit in anymore, swing on the tall swing, fall from the jungle bar, tending to his new born scratch, slip and fall, laugh and forget. It was such a memorable moment, to see Aiba enjoy his childhood. If only Aiba were his biological younger brother, maybe – just maybe – he wouldn’t have left home.

“Be careful!” Nino chuckled.  “Don’t rush. We have all day.”

Aiba’s eyes sparkled. “Really?!”

“Yes, really,” he smiled. “Let me clean your wounds.” After cleaning Aiba’s new scratches, he walked back to the bench, stopping when he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. How long has he been there?

“Hey,” Nino kicked the hooded person’s foot. “What are you doing here?"

The person shrugged and mumbled something before turning his back to Nino. 

“Can you leave? You’re scaring kids away,” he pointed out looking to Aiba’s direction. He lied, though; he just wanted it to be him and Aiba in the park.

“Go away,” the stranger mumbled in a deep voice. “I don’t give shit about kids.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, go away,” the stranger repeated, still refusing to move a single muscle.

“Please!” Nino heard himself plead, which he barely does, and pushed the man.

“Can you please go?”

“Okay!” the person finally gave in, standing up and shoving Nino in the process.

“I’ll leave.”

“Finally,” Nino breathed out as he went back to the bench, watching Aiba have fun by himself. He had forgotten about the strange man sleeping in the park as he invited himself to play with Aiba. Round and round they went, Nino chasing after the energetic kid, as he tried catching up avoiding to slip and fall. He heard himself laughing along with the kid, enjoying the moment he was never able to have since 1st grade. Finally, Aiba had given up, exhausted, and Nino took this chance to attack him, tickling him until Aiba started coughing wildly.

“Aiba?” Nino poked the little boy still coughing on the floor. “I-I didn’t tickle you that hard… Did I?”

The boy didn’t answer and just continued coughing until he couldn’t breathe anymore that he passed out. Nino thought that the boy was joking around, pretending to play dead so Nino could stop bothering him. But he thought wrong when the boy didn’t wake up after a couple of nudges. He panicked, scared that he actually tickled him hard enough to cough wildly and pass out. For the love of god, Nino needed Ohno more than anything, but he knew his old friend had passed…

Having no other choice, he rushed the small boy to the nearest hospital, ignoring another person chasing after him. When he had finally made it, he used his full name and the nurse immediately knew who he was so they brought Aiba to the emergency room. Having waiting hours and hours for Aiba to come out, he didn’t notice the same person calling for him earlier as he was heading to the hospital.

“Uh,” the person startled Nino. “…What happened to Aiba-chan?”

Nino heard this familiar voice and backed away almost immediately seeming like he didn’t want the person who looked like Ohno close to him. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now but seeing how the latter looked so much like his old friend, he spilled everything out saying it was his entire fault and that he was a bad person. He waited for an answer like he always did when he was around Ohno, but he turned away when the latter was taking way too long.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Nino asked him exasperatedly. He didn’t mean for his tone to come out like that, but he noted that he treated the latter like he did to Ohno.

“I was on the way to the bakery, but I saw you holding Aiba-chan so I ran after you.”

“Well you didn’t need to. We could handle ourselves just fine.”

The man didn’t speak for a while until a rushed nurse passed by. “It’s not your fault.”

Nino shook his head and once again said that it was his fault, blaming himself for even agreeing to go out. He should have known that something bad was going to happen, but he couldn’t tell the future. He wasn’t ever sure of what’s going to happen to Aiba and him when they lose money.

The latter sighed. “Look,” he said, “It’s not your fault. Things happen for a reason, so don’t go around and always blame yourself when you see a flower getting crushed ok?” 

Nino turned to look at the person who looked like Ohno, shocked that the man had said many things in just a sentence. The Ohno he knew wasn’t like that.

“All I’m saying is, don’t sweat it. Expect for the unexpected.”

Nino nodded his head, trying his best to listen to what the man advised as they waited for Aiba patiently. 

“You never told me how you knew me and Aiba,” Nino pointed out, his eyes refusing to meet the man’s. He was afraid that if he looked at them, he might just lose it and cry in front of the whole world. “Hell, I don’t even know you but you just reminded me of a friend I used to have.”

“I… I can’t say yet,” the man answered. “But in time I will tell you. Now is not a good time.”

“Oh. Right.”

As the two sat there in silence, waiting for the doctor to come out and tell Nino exactly what happened, Nino edged away from the latter, the awkwardness visible around them. By now, Nino would be talking on and on if it was his old friend, but the person beside him was way different. He didn’t know his hobbies, he didn’t know if he would obey to Nino’s orders, he doesn’t even know how old the latter actually was. Every time he glanced sideways while the latter wasn’t looking, he looked so much like Ohno, but he was way too young the last like Nino remembered him. The old man had wrinkles, a kind look in his eyes, and a smile plastered on his face. The person besides him was different: no smile, cold eyes, and young.

Just as he heard the latter wanting to say something, a doctor came from the emergency room and Nino ran to the doctor as fast as he could, forgetting about the person he left sitting by himself. Judging by the looks on the doctor’s face, Aiba was fine.

“The boy, Aiba Masaki is it?” The doctor looked from his clipboard.

Nino nodded, too anxious to answer.

“Well,” the doctor started. “He collapsed from using too much of his energy, and his lungs were contracting a bit. Try not to let the boy run as much or play any kind of wind instruments. Is that clear Ninomiya-sama?”

Nino nodded his head again not paying attention to how the doctor addressed him and continued gawking at the door, expecting Aiba to come out. 

“Oh, one more thing,” the doctor turned around, “Do you want me to call his and your parents?”

For the sake of not returning home and having Aiba to himself he answered, “No, I-I’ve got him.” He pointed towards the younger Ohno without thinking. A small part of him was actually glad that the man was there. With that said, the doctor turned back around saying something about his coffee, and Nino lingered the hallway pacing back and forth anxiously. 

To answer his prayers, Aiba came out lying on a bed, waving his hand at Nino and the person who looked like Ohno, while chattering away with the nurses laughing along with him. Thank the gods Aiba was ok.

+++

That same day, he laid on his bed that night, sleeping peacefully as dreams filled the back of his eyes. He saw the boy, Ninomiya, again. Nino was younger this time, and the boy was looking at him with joy in his eyes, as he laughed at something he said.

At exactly midnight, while Ohno was peacefully asleep, a cold draft entered his room; his window nor the door was opened. There were whispers, but Ohno, deep into his dreams, took it as someone conversing with him in his dream. The last thing he heard in his dream was a man’s voice, “I’m going to borrow you only for a short while.”

 


	5. I Thought I Lost You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ohno looks for his young master and learns that he's been missing for 9 months and Nino's ran away from his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted in my livejournal and it confused a lot of readers. This is an edited(ish) version of the story.

Ohno ran on the familiar road as he neared the mansion he lived in, in hopes that he would find Nino. In his state of mind, Ohno believed that he had woken up from a strange dream where Nino was ready to plunge in the cold, rushing water. Just when the latter was ready to take his own life, Ohno was there to save his young master and instead, sacrificed his own life for the boy’s. Then he dreamt of seeing a young man who looked exactly like him and possessed the same name, who he had asked permission for to use his body for something. Be that as it may, he knew that it was just a dream that never happened.

When he finally reached the mansion, everything before him changed. Before, the front lawn used to be so colorless and boring making it seem like it was an old mansion. Now it was green and had colors. The hedges that were arranged in rows used to be dull, lifeless, and kept untrimmed. Now, it was perfect. The scenery before Ohno made it seem like he has been away for a long time…

“Hey!” a guard caught Ohno starring through the front gates. “No one’s allowed!”  
Ohno turned to the guard and smiled remembering that same voice. “Okura! Long time no hear buddy!”

The guard he recognized as Okura Tadayoshi scrunched his face together in confusion. Ohno saw the latter blink his eyes many times, bob his head back and forth squinting his eyes, and finally put his head down. The latter laughed.

“Ohno!” Okura slapped his own forehead in realization. “I thought you were dead!”  
Ohno cocked his head to the side. “Dead?”

“Yeah!” Okura nodded his head as he wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes.  
“You went to save that Ninomiya kid from jumping!”

As soon as he heard what the guard had said, he remembered the dream he had and shook his head telling himself it was just a dream. There was no way that it was real. Besides, the last time he had seen Ninomiya was the night before, being tucked away in his bed wishing his young master a good night. But if it was a dream, how come Okura knew about it?

Ohno started to laugh. “You’re lying right?”

Okura shook his head and suddenly turned his head away. “Actually,” he began, “after the day you disappeared, that Ninomiya kid left. All they have left is his brother that’s barely a month old.”

“A-a brother?!” Ohno yelled through the guard’s ear as he laughed harder and harder. Okura was getting good at this.

“Hey,” the guard took hold of Ohno’s shoulder. “I’m not kidding around. I’m telling the truth.”

Then that was when Ohno swore his world had broken in pieces. He stopped laughing and stood there, starring straight at the latter’s eyes. “I need to go in. _Now_.”

+++

“Nii-chan!” Aiba giggled as his favorite person tickled him in his soft spots. “Quit it!!”

Remembering what the doctor said, Nino immediately stopped and told the boy to continue eating his food so they could go out of the room. The boy did as he was told and took as many spoonful as he could so he could finally get out of the boring room. Aiba didn’t notice though, how distracted his friend was.

Nino looked over his shoulder, expecting for the person who looked like Ohno to come in anytime and play with Aiba. But the person never came, and all Nino had to do was pray that the older was coming.

+++

As soon as Ohno entered the mansion, he was greeted respectfully by the maids and guards working there. When his back was turned to them, he could hear them cry, whisper, or thank the gods. He didn’t know what was going on. He was only sleeping for the night, and now all the familiar people around him are crying.  
After Okura had told Nino’s parents about Ohno’s presence, he was immediately sent in the master bedroom. He saw his old master and his mistress cry when he stood besides their bed, bowed, and paid no attention to it.

“Ohno!” Nino’s mother cried. “We thought you were gone!”

Ohno shook his head and smiled a little. “No ma’am, I was here to whole time.”

The mistress shook her head, and took the tissue that a maid was offering. “Ohno,” she blew her nose on the tissue, “You’re wrong. You’ve been missing for 9 months now. How could you just show up in our front steps? You might have been able to stop my useless son from disappearing.”

Ohno eyes widened in shock, still doubting what everyone is around him was saying. How could it be that he has been gone for 9 months, and Nino had left because of him?! _No_ , Ohno shook his head, _it’s impossible…_

“I-I’m s-sorry ma’am,” Ohno backed away. “I’ll be leaving too…”

“No!” his old master declined. “Stay and take care of Takuya.”

“No,” Ohno answered without hesitating. “I preferred Kazunari-sama, I still do…”

With that said, Ohno left the mistress and the master starring at each other in confusion.

He knew that if it were Nino, his young master wouldn’t been able to survive too long to be out in the world. Then again, the young master had been complaining about his parents and saying how much he had hated them. If it’s been this long, Nino could be anywhere by now.

+++

Nino asked the doctor if it was OK for Aiba to be released early. The doctor just glared at him as Nino threatened the doctor for Aiba’s release. When he finally said the word, ‘fire,’ the doctor signed a release form. His father was in so much power that he was glad to be called Ninomiya, but he still despised his parents. He and Aiba were finally out and his parents never received word from the hospital.

After finally carrying the heavy Aiba back to their home, Nino sat on the floor nursing the tired boy to sleep. How long has it been since he was gone? He doesn't know. It didn’t seem long to him since he was always with Aiba who comforted him, and let him laugh his worries away. It was thanks to the boy that he had learned to forget his past. But one thing still stayed in his mind, Ohno’s face smiling down on him. It was because of the person that looked like Ohno that made his remember the past.

He turned to look over his shoulder when he noticed a slightly blonde hair in the crowd rushing past by the crowd. Nino stood up remembering that it was the person who looked like Ohno’s hair. He kissed Aiba’s cheek before standing up and running after the blonde hair.

“Hey!” Nino called after the person. “Are you looking for Aiba and me?”

The person didn’t pay him attention and just continued running. Nino ran up closer and shouted: “Ohno!”

This time, the person stopped and turned around to face the crowd. He squinted his eyes trying to look for this person when he saw an only dirty boy standing in the middle of the crowd.

Nino ran up to him. “I thought you were ignoring me. Sheesh, you should have at least visited Aiba at the hospital.”

The person who looked like Ohno just stood there dumbfounded, and eyed Nino head to toe.

“Come on,” Nino chuckled. “I think he wants to see you now.” He didn’t know what was up with the person who looked like Ohno and just grabbed the latter’s wrist, dragging him to where he had left Aiba. Sure he knows that his old friend was quiet like the person he was dragging, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to see Aiba smiling.

The next words were the words Nino hasn’t been able to hear in a long time including the familiar sincerity in his voice: “Young… Master?”


	6. Chapter 6: So Close, but yet so Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young master's butler grew up watching the boy he came to love as a partner, but he knows that it is wrong to love the boy. Then one day, he tragically dies leaving the boy alone to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted in my livejournal and it confused a lot of readers. This is an edited(ish) version of the story.

Nino still refused to call the person who looked like Ohno as ‘Ohno’ and only addresses him as: “Hey!” He knew it was rude, but it has been a long time, and he still didn’t know if the older male was messing around with him.

“Hey,” Nino nudged the older male’s side. “What do you think of Masaki?” 

The older male didn’t seem to budge or whine about how he was addressed as he pondered for an answer. It was only his second day with the pair and he had no idea about Aiba, other than the kid’s hyperactive mood, and random silliness. How did the kid even know that he could draw?

“Well,” he started. “He’s cute I guess. What about you, young master?”

Nino twitched a little at how he was being addressed, still not used to being called a young master when he wasn’t even one anymore. He watched Aiba’s chest rise and fall, as he tossed, turned, and talked in his sleep. The little boy never failed to amuse Nino in many big or small ways. 

During the time when he first met Aiba, the boy’s smile brought him both warmth and comfort. Nino found it a little weird at first when Aiba had addressed him as his older brother, but he grew used to it and he liked the idea of having a little brother. Besides, he’s always wanted a little brother that his parents absolutely refused to let Nino see his little brother/ If he never would have met Aiba, he wouldn’t have met the person who looked like Ohno, and Nino would venture the streets alone. Sure the hyperactive child had made him irritated or a little infuriated for doing unnecessary actions like: disappearing when he told him to stay put, talking to strangers, or almost getting caught in pick pocketing. He can just never stay mad at him.

“Masaki is like my long lost brother. Without him…” Nino paused as he turned his direction back to the short boy. “…I’m not complete.” He had long forgotten about the mention of his parents, and his new little brother back home from Ohno. Aiba was his real brother—should have been— not that new off spring of his cold parents.

Ohno’s heart pounded at his words. So that meant that he didn’t matter at all to Nino. “What about me?” He had to clamp his hand over his mouth, shocked at his own self for blurting out such a weird question. But Nino didn’t seem to look at him strangely as he moved his eyes around as if looking for something lost  
.  
“I-well-I would say that you’re…nice?” Nino answered, the last word sounding like a question. Throughout spending time with the person who looked like Ohno, he never really thought of latter as anything else for being nice to offer his protection on him and Aiba.

The older besides him chuckled. “Ok. Well, I really like you young master. Just in case if you were going to ask me the same question,” he hummed.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re just messing around aren’t you?”

“No,” the older answered. “I mean it.”

Nino raised his eyebrow. “You just want to make me laugh right?”

Once again the older answered: “No.”

Nino turned his attention away from the latter, asking himself if the older got knocked in the head badly from chasing after Aiba. If it was the Ohno he knew, his butler would never answer him like this and be impulsive about speaking out. So to make sure, Nino decides that the person next to him was a different person; not Ohno and never will be, he was irreplaceable. 

+++

Aiba stood in front of the nursery his abusive parents forced him to attend. He knows the reason why he had to go since his parents were always away during the day, and coming around at midnight to pick him up, bring him back home, hit him a little, and the cycle would repeat all over. He even tried contacting his grandparents, but his grandparents turned their backs on him.  
He was an unwanted child from the beginning. 

Aiba remembered that one night when he came downstairs, scared to go to sleep from having nightmares, and over hearing his parents fighting over him. The next morning, he refused to go to school, stayed home, and locked his door so his abusive dad wouldn’t rape him.

He continued walking alone to the nursery seeing smiling and laughing children around him as they held tight onto their parents. He held his hand up high and left it there and stared at it, hoping that his parents would take both of his hands, swing him around, and watch him disappear behind the nursery entrance door. But no, his hopes were turned down as his favorite school teacher ushered him to school, and said everything will be ok. 

+

Aiba woke up that night from his memories playing in his dreams all over again. In fact, he never told Nino about his parents, and why he ran away. He never showed Nino the bruises under his clothing, and pretended that every step he took was fine. All he wanted was to make his older brother happy.

“Niichan,” Aiba trembled. “Can I sleep with you?”

Nino opened one eye and nodded when he saw the crying Aiba inching closer to him.  
He kissed Nino’s cheek. “Thank you.”

+++

“You don’t have enough time…” a voice whispered in his ear. 

Ohno opened his eyes and found himself laying on the clouds again. He looked around, still irritated at the weird dream he was having. He never really had the same dreams, but this was the first for him. 

“Whatever,” Ohno scoffed. “I’m sleeping.”

“Finish it…” the same voice whispered before Ohno’s world went dark.

+++

Nino looked around him, the two sleepyheads seemed to be in deep sleep. So he took this time to be finally alone in a long time and went back to the park; his and Aiba’s special place.  
As he was strolling down the paths in the park, he noticed that same lump resting behind the dumpster. Didn’t I get rid of him already? 

But today, there was no Aiba so he chose the bench near adjacent to the trash, just beside where the lump was resting. He stretched his arms as high as he can, and exhaled, bringing his back on the cold lumber support. Since the place was nearly empty, Nino started humming his song. When he was confident enough, forgetting the lump resting besides the trash and Nino sang.  
Nino continued singing the same song he made when he was younger when someone tapped him on the shoulder. To his surprise, the lump besides the trash disappeared and a rather masculine person sat before him: the flawless muscles on his arms, the chocolate brown hair, and beautiful brown orbs that anyone would fall for. He was…

“Perfect,” Nino mumbled to himself, continuing his thoughts. He didn’t realize he had said it out loud when the person just stared back at him in confusion.

“Ah!” Nino scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry. I was thinking of a perfect picture Masaki could draw,” he lied.

“It’s ok,” the person laughed, his deep voice making him adams apple vibrate a little.

“Yeah…” Nino replied, not noticing how hard he kept starring at the lump on the person’s throat.

“That song,” the latter didn’t seem to notice Nino starring. “It’s beautiful. What do you call it?”

Nino was held back at the comment. He’s never heard anyone comment other than Aiba. “I don’t know a name for it yet,” he answered as his eye trailed on the latter’s face. “I made it when I was younger…”

Nino didn’t know why he was telling this stranger about his song, but there was this strange urge that made Nino want to bring himself closer to this man.

The latter coughed. “Sakurai Sho,” he held his hand out. “What’s yours?”

Nino also coughed, and this time, noticing how he was making the latter uncomfortable from starring too much. “I’m sorry,” he turned his face from Sho. “I’m Ninomiya Kazunari.”

“Ninomiya huh?” Sho questioned him. “I’ve heard of that name somewhere before…”

+++

Ohno woke up, finding Aiba in front of him instead of Nino. Where did his young master wonder off to? Then he remembered about Aiba talking on and on about his and Nino’s special place: the park.

With that place in mind, he covered Aiba under blankets, and ran to the park, hoping to find his young master near the playground. And to his luck, Nino was there talking to a stranger. By the looks of it, Ohno could tell Nino took amazement of the person sitting next to him. He could see Nino’s eyes glimmer just by looking at this person, and never has Nino looked at Ohno in that way. Ohno’s felt his heart burst into pieces as he watched Nino share laughter with the person sitting beside him.


End file.
